Terry Reid and The Fortunate Sons - Winchester Club, Glasgow, 29 Aug

Winchester Club, Glasgow, 29 Aug

Roll’n’roll folklore states that he turned down overtures from Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, but tonight blues maestro Terry Reid joins forces with Glasgow outfit The Fortunate Sons. It seems, however, less of an amalgamation of musical wits than might have been expected.

The first half belongs to The Fortunate Sons, with upbeat cuts of rock’n’roll like ‘This Train’ and the newbie ‘Walk On Fire’ injecting life into the hips on the dance floor. When Terry Reid ambles onto the stage, the crowd – suits and all – pack round him, gleefully lingering in his presence.

Despite some amusing and endearing technical difficulties with the guitar – ‘I ain’t playing till you turn it up’ – he strums and croons with his new backing band for a few songs before stripping down to just his guitar and voice. It’s a potent combination, with the likes of ‘River’ showing why he’s fondly called Iron Lungs. The meandering blues numbers, however, veer dangerously towards self-indulgence and lack the vital urgency of The Fortunate Sons’ mini-set. But who really cares when this man and his voice are quite so legendary.